Seven delegates from Cement operations recently attended a seminar in Germany at the research and development headquarters of refractory manufacturer, Refratechnik.

The course was designed to give attendees a better understanding of safe refractory installation techniques, tips on how to analyse potential causes of a refractory failure, and the importance of selecting materials with the correct properties to handle conditions within the cement kiln.

The presentation gave examples of both safe and unsafe installation practices, along with information about getting the best results from our refractory installers and material choices. It also included two practical sessions when we were able to get hands on with installing a ring of bricks inside a small kiln and the use of a dry gunning machine.

After attending the course, we now have a larger pool of CEMEX people who can help supervise and oversee future refractory repairs and installation.